[NO] Shetani Handpaws, Feetpaws, and Leg Sleeves by Brushwolf Creature Studio
General InformationGives some information about the item and the person writing the review.
About the Reviewer
Reviewer
Relationship With Maker
The maker is NOT a friend
Prior Experience
Yes, owned a partial suit for 4+ years at time of this transaction
Informed Maker of Issues
Yes, during the process I expressed my concerns about the color matching. They convinced me that they knew best and everything would match. Afterwards, I shared my dissatisfaction with the incorrect color and sizing. Brushwolf said they might be able to adjust the coloration if we met at Anthrocon (which never happened, as they tweeted during the con that they would not “discuss work, give quotes, or do repairs during AC.”) No solutions were offered for the size issue.
Wear Time
4 hours on the feetpaws, longer on the handpaws
About the Maker
Maker
Commission Information
Species
King cheetah
Filed under Felidae
Filed under Felidae
Made in Year
Transaction Information
Estimated Completion Time (ETA) Accuracy
Date of Review
May 8, 2020
Buy/Commission Date
November 2018
Completion/Ship Date
June 2019
Item Completion Time (?)
Item Being Reviewed
Shetani Handpaws, Feetpaws, and Leg Sleeves with plantigrade padding in a realistic style as a commission.
Review Video
Character Concept Art
Photos of Completed Product
Hands and FeetGives information about the hands and/or feet of the costume.
Wear Satisfaction
How satisfying this piece is to wear with regard to comfort, fit, material quality, etc.
The fit of the feetpaws is comfortable, as they were built on shoes I provided. The fursuit maker completely disregarded my measurements when making the feet, and as a result, the feet themselves are several inches too large. They are front-heavy and disproportionate on me, and I often trip over my own toes. For this reason, they have only been worn for one day at a convention. The cuff is loose and if I wear long pants or leggings, I have to tuck them into the feet, which looks weird.
Despite sending the maker a tracing of my hand, the handpaws are too big on me and flop around if I move too quickly. They’re great for pictures, but the dexterity is lacking and not what I’m used to in fursuits.The wrists, which are elasticized, fit just fine. There is no lining.
Appearance Satisfaction
How satisfying this piece is to look at with regard to material quality, design, how closely it matches the concept, etc.
All the parts look great on their own, but match neither my character reference nor my existing fursuit, for which they were intended. The color is much too dark. The fronts and backs of the legs are visibly different shades, which I believe may have had to do with rushing on the maker’s part. The hands and feet both look large and disproportionate on me, and seem to have been patterned for a toony fullsuit rather than a realistic partial.
I do like the shape of the feet, they look very realistic and animal-like. The hands look more like what you would expect from a toony style fursuit.
Special Attachments and Features
Information about any special or unique features this piece has with regard to the reviewer's satisfaction of them.
I requested detachable leg sleeves to be added, with the intent of being able to swap them between the Brushwolf paws and my existing fursuit paws. The legs attach to the feet via zippers around the ankle area. I can’t zip the legs on when my feet are in the feetpaws, and require outside assistance to do so. As such, I haven’t worn them publicly and have no photos of them. When zipped onto the matching feet, the look is seamless. The cuffs of the leg sleeves are too wide for me to effectively wear them with my existing paws, and the airbrushing does not match the older paws, so I can’t interchange them as I had hoped. They are held up via two hooks around the top edge which can be attached to suspenders or elastic straps.
OverallHow satisfied the reviewer is with the overall buying experience, including their interactions with the maker and the resulting final product.
Product Satisfaction
How satisfied the reviewer is with the overall look and feel of the costume in its entirety.
How was your concept art realized?
From the get-go, I informed the maker that my intent with this commission was to obtain “add-on” parts for an existing fursuit of mine, by a different maker. Brushwolf said they admired my suit and had even met me at a previous convention, so they were familiar with how my suit looks. I provided photos of the existing fursuit as part of the commission reference, checked to make sure they had the specific fur used in stock, and stated that everything should be one solid color with no airbrushed shading. I was sent a WIP photo of the handpaws that showed a gradient with light fingers and a dark back. At this time, I reminded them, with screenshots, that my character did not have a gradient. Brushwolf convinced me that my fursuit actually did have heavy golden airbrushing, and the parts would not match if they omitted it. They stated they airbrush suits the same way as the other maker and there would be no difference. Now second-guessing myself, I deferred to their judgement as a fursuit maker and agreed to the airbrushing.
I never saw WIPs of the legs and feet, or another photo of the hands. The day after the fursuit package was shipped, I was sent a finished photo of the legs and feet, in which the front and back of the legs were visibly two different shades. I expressed worry that the fronts of the legs were too dark. Upon arrival, the legs, feet, and hands were all airbrushed a very dark brownish-gold that did not match my fursuit. To my dismay, the backs of the legs – which had no airbrushed shading, just the natural color of the fur I requested they use – were a near-perfect match to the existing fursuit.
I never saw WIPs of the legs and feet, or another photo of the hands. The day after the fursuit package was shipped, I was sent a finished photo of the legs and feet, in which the front and back of the legs were visibly two different shades. I expressed worry that the fronts of the legs were too dark. Upon arrival, the legs, feet, and hands were all airbrushed a very dark brownish-gold that did not match my fursuit. To my dismay, the backs of the legs – which had no airbrushed shading, just the natural color of the fur I requested they use – were a near-perfect match to the existing fursuit.
How well does everything fit together and match up?
This is detailed in other sections.
Overall Project Quality
The pieces are all functional, but I’m not satisfied with the final result. They don’t match my character and they don’t fit me properly. I feel that if the maker had been more communicative and provided more (any!) WIP photos during the process, a lot of the problems could have been avoided.
Purchase Process
Details the interactions between the customer/reviewer and the maker of the item with regard to the buying process.
Initial Contact
I contacted Brushwolf on Twitter in November of 2018, having seen a post about a commission opening for handpaws. I inquired if they could also do a set of outdoor feetpaws with detachable leg sleeves, and they agreed. In late November I was emailed an itemized quote, contract, and invoice, all of which I signed and paid promptly. A pair of shoes for the feetpaws was requested, which I mailed to Brushwolf. The contract stipulated that requested materials and measurements must be sent within 7 days of acceptance, the lack of which may result in cancellation. The form listed measurements that were not applicable to my commission (e.g. head size) and didn’t mention what measurements they needed specific to the legs, so I contacted Brushwolf for clarification. After 3 weeks and another message from me, they told me to just go by the measurements my previous fursuit maker uses. I also provided the dimensions of the existing feet.
A few months later, I was added to a Telegram chat for their clients to receive updates. From then on, all contact was made on Telegram.
A few months later, I was added to a Telegram chat for their clients to receive updates. From then on, all contact was made on Telegram.
Maker Response Time
Initial contact was quick, but slowed considerably after that. If it didn’t have to do with payment, response from the maker was hardly punctual. I often went weeks without updates and had to message the maker multiple times before getting a response.
We began communication on Twitter DM, then switched to Telegram, both in private messages as well as a group chat for all clients of Brushwolf. In the beginning, they frequently communicated with clients and posted WIP photos in the group chat. This became more sporadic over time. Other clients would post in the group chat inquiring if anyone had heard from them, so I can only imagine they were having the same difficulties as I in getting a response from Brushwolf.
We began communication on Twitter DM, then switched to Telegram, both in private messages as well as a group chat for all clients of Brushwolf. In the beginning, they frequently communicated with clients and posted WIP photos in the group chat. This became more sporadic over time. Other clients would post in the group chat inquiring if anyone had heard from them, so I can only imagine they were having the same difficulties as I in getting a response from Brushwolf.
Maker Professionalism
The maker was always professional and courteous in my dealings with them. Personal life details were given, but as an explanation for why they were taking so long.
Project Completion Time
The maker had a public Trello, but this was hardly updated during the duration of my commission, with projects having incorrect dates and some people’s projects not being added.
Updates began to slow during March and April, due to health issues Brushwolf kept the group chat abreast of. In late April, Brushwolf asked all clients to contact them privately to either set a commission deadline or request refunds. We had previously discussed my commission being done before Anthrocon 2019, so Brushwolf and I agreed to a hard deadline of June 26th for completion and delivery. In early May, the deadline was amended to June 19th, as I was having doubts about actually receiving my parts in time for the convention. The legs had not been started at this point. A week before the deadline, the feet were still being worked on. On the 17th, I was told my parts would be shipped the following day. Brushwolf offered next-day or 2-day shipping, I forewent the cost of next-day shipping and selected the option for the 20th. I received the package on the 21st.
The parts were shipped via USPS the day before they were due. My deadline was just barely missed. The maker did give a tracking number.
Rating
Final Comments
My greatest disappointments with this experience are the maker’s disregard of my measurements and the color specifications, which were agreed upon in our signed contract. Liberties were taken with the design of my character and sizing of the fursuit, for no good reason. If these were things to which they could not adhere, I feel this should have been specified from the beginning.
I remain in contact with some other clients of Brushwolf since the end of my commission experience, and the lack of communication and slowness of work persist. I fully understand that this is due to a series of personal issues outside of the maker’s control, but I feel it’s important for prospective clients to be aware of. Since my transaction with them, they have made a new public Trello that describes at great length the various physical and mental health issues that may affect their work speed.
Brushwolf is a quality maker who does solid and frankly beautiful work. They seem to work best when given a great deal of liberty, both creative and time-wise. Prospective customers may have luck picking up premades from them. However, at this time, I can’t recommend them for custom work, to anyone with a specific character design in mind, or who needs their suit done in a set time frame.
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